Page 13 of Billionaire Grump
But Noah’s on a roll. “That could actually work. Pay someone to go with you for the weekend as a front. It’ll keep Margot off your back. And, who knows, with the stress taken out of the Margot equation, you might even enjoy a weekend out of the city, poolside, among friends. People do occasionally enjoy weddings, you know.”
“Sure they do,” I grumble. Other people, maybe.
“You definitely need a buffer,” Colton agrees.
“I don’t need to hire someone to spend time with me. I’m not Dad.”
We all frown at the memories.
But Colton is just warming up. “Dude, you’re not paying her to have sex with you. You’re paying her to let Margot know that you’re no longer available.”
I sigh heavily. I hadn’t let myself think too much about the actual logistics of being at a wedding with Margot.
Knowing my luck, we’ll be sharing a goddamn room due to some mix up with the bookings—something that’s actually possible because she’s in charge. Everything with her is deliberate and calculated. And relentless. She’s like a fucking event planner terminator with one mission.
“The wedding’s this weekend?” Noah pulls out his phone and punches the call button. “Cleo, come in here for a minute, would you?”
I’ve had enough. I stand up, getting ready to leave. “I’m not taking Cleo as my fake fucking date.”
“I’m not setting you up with Cleo,” Noah laughs at the thought. “She’s engaged. But she does know literally half of New York City. She’ll know of someone who’d just love a weekend away in the Hamptons with a hot billionaire.”
Noah’s still smiling as Cleo opens the door, ten seconds later, her eyes bright with the kind of enthusiasm that’s going to spin this project into a nightmare I can’t escape from, I can just tell.
Cleo is probably 23 or 24 and is a hundred percent attitude. I don’t know how Noah puts up with her.
“Hi, Alexander,” she smiles. It’s annoying, how she calls me by my first name even though I never asked her to. Noah’s style is much more informal than mine.
“Cleo.”
Colton is enjoying this immensely. “Cleo, we have a little problem we were wondering if you could help us with.”
“Sure.” She glances at me, reading that the problem is mine. “What’s the problem?”
“Alexander has a wedding to go to in the Hamptons this weekend,” Colton explains. “But his crazy ex who won’t take no for an answer will be there and he needs a date to act as a…well, a shield. A front. To keep her off his back and to convince her it’s time to move on. Do you know anyone who’d agree to be his plus one at such short notice if he paid them extremely generously?”
“Two nights,” I add, hating that I’m suddenly considering going along with this. “And this is completely confidential.”
Cleo looks me up and down, like she’s trying to figure out if she knows anyone nuts enough to do this. “You’re that desperate, huh?”
“He is,” Noah confirms.
Cleo flashes white teeth. “Oh, I can definitely help you. I’ve got a hundred friends who would kill to get close to a Maddox brother. People ask me all the time if I can get them one of your numbers.”
“And now’s their chance.” Noah’s grin as he watches my face is making me want to strangle him.
“I just want to make sure I’m clear on all the details.” Cleo starts taking notes on a fucking notepad. “The payment you’re offering includes…staying in the same room with you?” She glances up at me.
Fuck. I hadn’t thought of that.
“Definitely,” Colton says. “The staging has to be convincing.”
“Maybe it could be a two-room suite or something,” I mumble. “I can?—”
“No, that would be too obvious,” Noah insists. “Especially since Margot is the event planner. She’ll zero in on that detail like a circling shark.”
“You mean the evil ex is the event planner? Oh, this is too good.” Cleo is enjoying my pain as much as Noah. “Okay, so definitely in the same room. Do you want your fake date to, like…lay it on? Like, sit on your lap, play with your hair, kiss you, that kind of thing? To really show the ex you’ve completely moved on?”
“Absolutely,” Colton answers before I get a chance to tell Cleo there’s no need for any of that. “It’s the only way to keep Margot at bay. The woman’s a nightmare. She thinks she still has a chance of winning him back.”